Francis Joseph Cassavant is 18. He has just returned home from the Second World War, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero.

Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored my many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis’s life.

"[A] powerhouse novel . . . that will follow the reader long after the story has ended."--Booklist

"Cormier's . . . story will hold fans from the first page to the last."--Publisher Weekly, starred